The invention relates to a method for sorting mailings according to a distribution sequence.
The task of sending out mailings is made considerably easier if the sequence of the volumes of mailings for the individual mailing points in the mailing containers corresponds to the sequence of mailing points on the mailing path.
A number of devices for the production of such distribution sequences that take special account of large letters are known, some of which rely on single pass methods.
Such a method is characterized by the fact that the whole mailing volume that is to be brought into a distribution sequence is separated only once, as described, for example, in EP 0 820 818 A1 and DE 199 43 362 A1.
Multi-pass methods on the other hand are characterized by multiple separations of the whole mailing volume, as described, for example, in EP 1 258 297 A1.
Another known method involves carrying out a pre-sorting and a final sorting on a sorting machine at the same time if the capacity required for the final sorting is greater than the capacity that is available in the sorting machine for the final sorting. Thus some of the mailings are already finally sorted in the first sorting run. The remaining mailings, that were initially only pre-sorted, are again sent to the sorting machine for final sorting. In this method the pre-sorting follows a pre-sorting plan that has been fixed before pre-sorting, as described, for example, in EP 0 999 902 B1.
Distribution sequence sorting machines comprising a single pass process are known exclusively in the pouch sorter design, wherein the ring of pouches functions as a storage unit having optional access to the storage points thereof. This fundamentally limits the mailing volume as a function of the number of pouches in the sorter, which has to be equal to or greater than the mailing volume. Hitherto no methods for pouch sorters have been disclosed that allow a precise division of the mailing volume to be processed into corresponding partial volumes without prior information about the mailings. These partial volumes are in each case characterized by having a coherent range of mailing points and are smaller than or equal to the capacity of the machine (that is the number of pouches in the ring of pouches).